Lumped together with Bush on an irresponsible foreign policy. Subjected to a withering speech by Obama. Embarrassed by his own statements that he'd deal with Hamas.  How could this news cycle get any worse for McCain?

Well,
How about getting booed at an NRA meeting?  McCain will be speaking at the National Rifle Association of America annual meeting in Louisville, KY, today at 4:30.  I'm hoping the microphones will pick up the sound of P.O.'d gun nuts.  Even if he does get a polite reception, prepare for him to say something foolish about gun rights that will directly contradict statements he made in the past. 

The McCain candidacy is a gift from heaven.  The man's path to the White House essentially is one long minefield--he has to navigate between an skeptical & unenthusiastic base and an appalled anti-Bush public.  And every time he has to pander to the base, they guy gets tinier and tinier...

Call it... McPocrisy?

I was just reading James Rubin's excellent WaPo Op-Ed about McCain's 2006 statements on Hamas, and this line jumped out at me:

McCain, meanwhile, is guilty of hypocrisy. I am a supporter of Hillary Clinton and believe that she was right to say, about McCain's statement on Hamas, "I don't think that anybody should take that seriously." Unfortunately, the Republicans know that some people will. That's why they say such things.

Only in a campaign fight this long and bruising, only in a primary that has so divided Democrats, could the statement "I am a supporter of Hillary Clinton and..." add credibility to a defense of Barack Obama.  If, in 2000, someone wrote an Op-Ed saying, "Even though I supported Bill Bradley in the primaries, I have to admit Al Gore is right when it comes to Social Security," people would respond, "Yeh? So? The primaries are over, and you've fallen in line. What do I care who you supported in February?"

But this time around, the animus between the two Democratic candidates and their supporters is so real and deeply felt, that when Clintonites come to the defense of Barack (or when Hillary herself does so, as she has been  doing during these last few days), that carries with it a political and cultural valence it might not have had had this thing been wrapped up months ago. 

The rank-and-file will fall in line in the end, of course. Clinton surrogates won't be foolish enough to sit on their hands during this crucial election.  But the media has invested so much in the Hillary/Barack split that the emergence of Democratic solidarity will be covered as though it were an important story.  Networks will feign surprise at this latest "twist" in the narrative:

"Amazing, Keith-- Carville and Richardson on the same stage! Both supporting Barack Obama." 

"Amazing! White people--Hillary's main constituency--seem to have shown up in droves for Obama's big rally here in Sioux City! I guess the primaries really are over!"

I can't predict exactly what sort of impact this crazy primary fight will have on the general. There are clearly both positive and negative aspects to it.  But keep your ears perked for the opening line, "Now, I am/was a die-hard Hillary supporter, but..." And keep track of how useful it is as a rhetorical tool (both as a weapon against McCain, and as a tool for promoting unity among the Democrats).  I'm curious to see how it will play.

Minutes after Senator Hillary Clinton finished her victory speech in West Virginia, AARP Senior Fraud Defense lawyer Roberta Flume received a panicked call from Senator John McCain.  According to Ms. Flume, the call went as follows:

Flume: Hello?
McCain: [off-phone] Cindy, do I need to press the call button or does this thing just dial automatically?
Flume: Hello??
McCain: Hello?
Flume: Hello?
McCain: Just a second. [off-phone]  Of COURSE I plugged in the charger! Who do you think I am, you—listen, Cindy, let’s discuss this later—the girl’s on the phone.  Ah, sorry about that, Miss.
Flume: That’s all right.  What can I do for you, sir?
McCain: You’ve got to help me—I think I—I think I was the victim of some sort of sweepstakes scam.
Flume: OK, can you tell me a bit more about what happened? Was this an e-mail you received, or a telephone call?  One of these “Nigerian prince” letters?
McCain: Well, it’s like this: I keep getting these messages asking me for money, saying “We can win this!”
Flume: So, this a sham lottery that’s been contacting you?  Were you asked for your credit card information?
McCain: Let me tell you what happened.  I was watching the TV tonight, flipping through the infomercials that me and Cindy like so much, and I came upon one channel that looked particularly interesting.  The speaker was telling inspirational stories—one about an old woman who wanted to cast a vote before she died, and another one about a poor boy who sold his bicycle and toys and donated the proceeds to a campaign.   The speaker, she said that giving her money, it’s like an investment, and that I shouldn’t let anyone tell me it wouldn’t pay off, because if I invest in her she’ll never give up and never stop fighting for me, and just imagine the return on an investment like that! I’d never have to depend on Cindy for my allowance again!  So she gives out her internet’s website address over the air, and, naturally, I make my way over to the AOL and type out my credit card number.  Not a minute goes by and I get a call from Diner’s Club, telling me I’ve exceeded my balance!  I—I don’t know what to do… They've cleaned me out!
Flume: OK, sir, we’ve been getting a lot of these calls lately, from other seniors who have taken in by fundraising pleas from the Clinton campaign—
McCain: Clinton campaign??
Flume:  That is who you’re referring to, isn’t it?  Do you have the scammers’ web address?
McCain: I wrote it down, lemme see.  Ahhh... W-W-W... ...Dot...  Fuck. Yeah, it’s her. 
Flume: OK, sir.  Nothing to be alarmed about.  They’re twenty million dollars in debt, and, predictably, they’ve been taking advantage of society’s weakest in order to pay it off.  We can get you your money back, I’m certain--but before we can take any action on your behalf, I need to take down your personal information.
McCain: Sure.  My name is John, J-O-H-N, McCain, and that’s McCain with an “M.” And my credit card number is 9-6-8-0—
Flume: No credit card number necessary, sir—
McCain: ...1-1-3-2...
Flume: Mr. McCain—
McCain:  That’s SENATOR McCain, hussy!
Flume: Wait, seriously? This is Senator John McCain?
McCain: [silence]
Flume: Oh… that IS embarrassing.
[click]